Very pleased to say ( boast !) that I can still do a sub 8 mins at the age of 86. I found it interesting as my drag factor is 170, I have tried much lower but find ai need something to pull against, I used to do 20 to 12 big strokes at the beginning but now ease down to 1-59 in the first 250, finally I still sprint in the last 180 meters, my last 2k 7.54 I have found as the years tick by that there are fundamental changes to my body which I did not experience when I was even 5 years younger. One of them is my knees are stiffer so the power is moving more to my upper body rather than from the power house of my legs. I have less movement on the slide so cannot push as well. A great video and my comments are aimed at that small group 80+ who still aim or can do a sub 2.0. Mike H
@@user-hj6tt7jf8w well if you look at the Indoor National Rowing Championships or even this season's Ranked Rowing you will see many people in their 70 & 80s doing sub 2.0. But not so far in their 90 s., perhaps in three years when I hopefully become 90?! There are four 80+s this season doing sub 2.0 AND 62 in the over 70s including a sub 7 mins! Despite the myth there are quite a few people in their 70s and 80s who can do a sub 8 min. Which of course is great. Mike
This video was very helpful surprisingly. Recently took the rower test in the process of hopefully becoming a police officer and thought I needed to get 9.5 mins but was hit with needing to hit 9mins. I paced myself the whole way through and kept my breathing going along with that pace. It hurt like hell and by the end I couldn't breathe as well as the fact that my legs were on fire but I ended up getting 8 mins and 4 seconds. Thanks for the video my guy, it sure was helpful for me.
Dang, helped beat previous 2km with being mindful of strokes/m and split time. Thank you! And motivates me that I'm huffing and puffing while you're casually talking through a 2km 8min row!
Really appreciate these row-alongs (as well as all your other content of course). I started rowing with the New Year and could barely last 10 minutes at a 2:25-2:30 pace. My first 2K attempt was 8:47 on Jan 28, and I just now did 7:50 thanks to this vid! I chalk much of my progress up to having a nearly endless stream of rowing content on your RU-vid channel which helps to maintain consistency day-in, day-out. Remember, food is fuel and fuel is food AWW YEAH!!
Great content Cam! For me, the mental side of the second and third 500m segments is the hardest thing. Perhaps “exquisite torture” is the right term. The last 500 is easy, emptying the tank starting at 333. In the middle, I’ve tried counting 20s, 10s, but my go to now is to simply close my eyes and focus on the connection at the catch through my feet. I can tick off 20 strokes, usually a little negative, and find I feel refreshed when my eyes open. I’ve been rowing combinations of 10ks for the last 25 days, March Season Madness, and can’t wait for a day to simply do a 2k.
Thanks cam.. again.. brilliant upload.. I wouldn't mind u to do a 2 k 6.30 time if u can..to see what u do.. also a 1k and 5,000 metres would be a massive help to watch and learn... thanks again cam
@@CameronBuchan Thank you for these brilliant row-along videos. If you can do a 6:30 and 6:45 for the 2000m it would be awesome! I’m just under 7 min atm😅. Might be the same strategy as the others but I think many athletes could benefit from a “row-along”.
@@ChristianEide glad you like them! Yes strategy is similar but you're right. The row along aspect gives that extra bit to push when you're doing your own test
Great stuff Cam, gonna keep using this and try to get to a 7:30. Bought my C2 in September to do something other than cycling and am loving it. My first sub 8 just went like this , under control and I was done at the end. 24 spm. 1:59.4 1:58.6 1:57.9 1:56.6 Was one of those good days when you sit down to warm up and realise that it's gonna be a lot easier than usual :)
Hi Cam. A few weeks ago I have completed my novice rowing season and my PB for the 2k erg test was 7:35 min. looking at this video I have learned so much more into becoming a better rower.
Thank you so much for this row along! I was really nervous for my 2k test that passed last week, so I kept rewatching your videos to try and work out a good strategy. Last year, my 2k was not very good at all (I sat at an 8:30). I really wanted to hit a sub 8 minute 2k, and this video really helped! I recalled your tips when I went through the 2k and ended up with a time of 7:50. I am 15, 5’6, and one of the lightest on the team, so this was a huge benchmark for me. Thank you Mr. Buchan for helping me reach my goal!
Just started using the rowing machine at the gym, been watching many of your videos. Using it as a weight loss tool at the moment, tried a 2k for the first time today and only managed a 10 min dead... Haha. Looking forward to improving
Just prior to seeing your video, I did a 2:05.7 at a stroke rate of 28. I am currently 66 years old and feel that I have room to get way below 8 minutes. For now, I am focusing on having good erg technique, which I believe will help immensely in getting my time down. Also, I need to work on my breathing but not sure how to go about it. I compete in open water racing events that are 5 to 12 nautical miles, I have a pace that can fluctuate between 20 & 26 strokes because of extreme water conditions. The end results I usually place, but still feel I need work on increasing my stroke rate. Again, thanks Cam for the great videos!
Thank you cam, i just had my 2k today and i watched your 7 minuets 2k video right beforr my 2k i got some tips and it really helped me performe, i got a 7:47.7 and i didnt think i'd get less than 7:55 than i was quiet shocked of myself, next one in febuary and i think i will get under 7:30
I like the “pretend” heavy breathing at the end of the 2k. I’d love to see your HR reading for steady-state 2 min splits Cam. I bet the needle barely nudges 120 HR? Excellent tutorial as always 💪
My pb is 7:15 but what kills me is the middle 1k. I normally slow down a couple splits and I can’t get rid of that mental block to push through the pain
I knackered all the ligaments in my left knee 7 weeks ago, and the physiotherapist recommended I keep rowing for recovery. I still have plenty of stamina, but cannot deliver much power through the drive. My 2k splits are exactly the same as my 22k splits.
Terrific video, great to hear what you are thinking about during the exercise and give us something to think about (other than please make it stop 😂). Many thanks
Great video idea. For me it really helped me following your movement and underatanding where I am slow and improve. Keep up the good work! Would love to see a video with higher splits and even higher rate!
Thank you for this mahi Cam. I always get a lot from your personal take on how to structure the work. That triple digits 'chunking' as smaller goals did so much for me on organising the finishing. I used to start nice and tidy, then degrade along. This is great. Kia ora mate.
Did my 1st 2k today ended up at 8.02 last 500 split was 1.55 so I messed up somewhere in the beginning, At 61 I was a little Leary of pushing really hard, but I think getting under 8 will be an easy goal
Only my 2nd attempt at a 2k and got 7:57 under your guidance. Cheers dude! Not sure I could maintain a 2k @ 1:45 pace under your tutorship - my 500m best is only 1:44 😭
@@CameronBuchan I can just about maintain 1:45 for 500m - let alone 2k! Haha. But I like your optimism. Just need you to create a 2k row along video for 7:56 😉
I thought you would need the setting at between 8 to 10 but I’ll try 5 next time. I’m not sure if I’m pausing to much at the end of the stroke so might film myself to check.
The setting doesn't really change the speed. I was actually at a lower setting for my PB of 5:49. The speed is changed by your effort. I've made a few videos talking about it
Within reason that row and cadence is my max effort for 2km! I can do it a little faster than that but I'm blowing like a train fully loaded going up hill!
@@CameronBuchan I mostly row 5km and I try to maintain 2 minute 500s. I tend to perform just as well or better with higher drag settings 150/170. Is this a technique fault? Apologies it’s probably near impossible to answer that. Thanks for your time.
Thanks to watching all your videos on tapering, food fuel, training and 2k strategy I just took 29 secs off my 2k pb for a 7m 20.9s. thanks for all your help and guidence.
You wearing adidas weightlifting shoes mate? They seem to have a raised heel. I ask as I’m struggling with lack of dorsiflexion at catch at moment; am still a noob but getting there. Thanks for your videos bro you’ve helped me endlessly ❤️
Hello, yes I am. I've made a video talking about shoes if you're curious. I guess the shoes with a heel will help the heel come down earlier but biggest thing is a solid platform so lifters, deadlift, shoes, even chucks!
So I did my first personal trial the other day and finished in 8:51. I feel like that’s not too bad but I know I can push harder. I’m really gonna try for 8:30 next time. The machine at my gym isn’t great so the best drag number I can get is 140. I’m on my own so any feedback would be super helpful thanks, great video!
Good job! Definitely a great starting point. Since you're on your own I'd recommend not trying to do too many flat out efforts and try mixing the workouts up 💪
I just pr today at an 8-00.6 I’m a freshman in high school Our drag factor is set by our coaches at 115 My ratings were 21, 23, 25, 27, Splits were 2-00.7, 2-00.7, 2-02.5, 1-56.7 I sprinted last 250m Any advice on how I can go sub 8
Going to go and do my 3rd 2k meter row in a bit. Ill let you know how it go! My first was 9:32. My second was 8:53 a week later. Lets see what I can do today!
Your video helped me drop my 2k from 9:30min+ to 8:45min. One question: I don’t know if it’s the video speed or my rowing but my meters eventually fall behind yours. What am I doing wrong?
Congratulations on the drop in time! You'll be falling behind because in this video I am holding about a 2 minute split/500m. You will be holding something slower so "falling behind"
So how do I hold faster? I try to hold your rhythm but it doesn’t translate all that well… by the way, dropped an extra 15 secs today but I had to do 15 hard pulls in the beginning instead of 10.
Is it possible to extrapolate splits from other distances in rowing? For instance recently I tried a 2k in 8mins, and finished within the 8mins. I then tried to see if I can hold a sub 2 split over the 5k and did it well under 20mins. Since I wasn't too spent I thought, let's give 10k a shot at sub 2, and I finished in 39:xx. All those tests on different days obviously. Since I'm new to rowing I have a hard time judging splits, I usually underestimate the increased effort that comes with only a couple seconds faster 500m splits. What is a split I should realistically aim for in the 2k when I can hold 1:58-59 over the 10k?
Yes it is. The longer the distance the slower you'll go per 500m! 10k vs 2k is hard for me since I haven't really tested a 10k. I'd probably say its around 10-12 splits slower than 2k pace. A very rough guess though
You kept your stroke rate on a good rhythm not letting it go up to 32 then next 11 my rowing club to help us practice they get us to do closed eye rowing on the ergs this helps with timing and keeping are stroke rate consistent but I struggle to keep it consistent how can you tell weever your keeping at the same stroke rate or not?
@@CameronBuchan bit of background…….Member of Newark rowing club. Stroke a veteran Quad average age 80yr. We do 10k on the Trent twice a week. Many thanks for your support.
Hi Cameron I noticed you are breathing in on the way forward or you doing a mixture of the two. I row most days but don't really give it too much thought. What do you recommend for max benefit?
If its a hard piece generally breathing out at the catch and finish works well. Everyone can be slighlty different though. I don't think you need to give it too much thought unless you're actually struggling to breath
Thanks so much for these videos. I’m really struggling to get under 7.40 doing a 2000metres. Any other workouts you do that will help get to my target of 7:30?
@@CameronBuchan thanks mate… I think I need to buy one… travelling to the gym is the only thing stopping me… I’m doing it 3-4 times a week… need to push to 5-6 I guess!
Idk what I'm doing wrong, but my resistance at 10 was 09:10 mins at first try (I won't recommend cause my lower back hurt for a good 3 days). I reduced my resistance to 7 and finished at 09:26 ( like wtf.) I reduced my resistance again at 5 and finished at 09:23. All my s/m have been around 30-32 and pace at 02:20/500m and I'm going fast, I must be doing something wrong. My expected finish time at the first 2+ mins is usually 08:30-45, then it goes up as I row. Fuck am I doing wrong? I'm a female and would like to finish below the 9 min mark.
Speed is generated by the effort you put in. The resistance doesn't really effect the speed, just can hurt you, like you experienced. I've made a few videos about the subject of your interested. To go faster you need to either improve your technique and/or get fitter. The reason your projects finish time at the start is faster than finish is you can't hold the effort for the length of the 2k
Made quite a few videos talking about drag factor, or resistance. It isn't harder or easier the lower the resistance. The resistance or difficulty is made by how hard you push.
Separating out the specific parts and tools for each of the seven step assembly process steps was brilliant on the part of the manufacturer. For the price, I am impressed at how sturdy this ru-vid.comUgkxvObaTzoHoHQLL4lHbJQmExHqsrZQm-f7 unit is and it does go together easily. Well, I was puzzled at first at Step 5 and maybe the instructions should mention that rail #62 needs to be tilted upwards a little to get the rail to fit into the main part #44. I like it that the rower can be stored vertically in a really small amount of space, but be forewarned that this rower is top heavy and for safety you'll need at least two bungee cords to keep the unit upright, attaching them to something; in my case to a third garage door. I have had this unit only a short time, and I will post an update once I've had it for a year. As for working your legs, I have to admit that I'm mainly rowing for upper body strength and I use other forms of exercise for leg strength (like walking fast, biking, or using a trampoline. But if you pull as far forward as possible, then you can give preference to your legs for the first 4 feet or so of travel. I also admit to not taking the two electronic connectors apart at Step 7. I simply inserted the two batteries while the other parts remained connected. By the way, there is plenty of resistance here, even in the lowest resistance settings. Kudos to Sunny Health & Fitness !
The speed is a measure of how much effort you are putting in per stroke. The rate can be higher or lower and the speed can be faster or slower. There could be something to do with technique but I can't see what you're doing
@@armandomonreal7460 like I said, the stroke rate isn't correlated directly to the pace. More effort means faster pace but I don't know what your technique looks like so can't help much more than that
Fairly new to this, so quick question - does anyone use the weight adjustment feature?. I'm 6ft and 150lbs and I'm told the concept 2 assumes a weight of 195lbs, but I've never bothered using the adjustment.....don't know why, but it feels like cheating😁
As I mentioned before the start of the 2k. Pretty much everyone should use around 4-5 on the machine. It isn't the same as say, resistance on a weight stack. It really doesn't effect the speed much. There is a link in the top right corner when I'm talking about it in the video if you want to learn more about it
@@CameronBuchan Thanks for the reply Cam - I am using 4 as resistance, but I am referring to the weight adjustment feature - when you review your stats for the row, in the top right hand corner of the rowerg there is a weight adjustment button which adjusts your stats to your own weight - so a 2.10 500m, weight adjusted, maybe 1.58 for example. Think I just answered my own question actually as it's not actually on the concept 2 itself, but on rowerg app for your phone ( logbook) that links to the concept 2.
@@cairncross63 ah sorry! People call the drag so many things! For the weight adjustment yes it'll make your times faster but they won't "count" towards an official entry in pretty sure. It'll just go back to default weight for that. I never use it and don't know anyone that does but doesn't mean you shouldn't!
@@CameronBuchan thanks mate - makes sense!. I guess it may be useful if you are challenging someone much bigger to a head to head to get a level playing field, but I'll stick to the basics. Loving the videos by the way - some great tips!
I've never used the weight adjustment as I believe it is only important for the theoretical calories used calculations. I do not think it affects measured pace, but I could be wrong.
@@CameronBuchan thanks. I'll mention it to the gym staff. Really enjoy your vids, I'm close to sub 7 for 2k but mentally fail before I physically fail.
@@lincslegend6936 awesome! sometimes the mental failure is because a physical failure. Potentially I'd look at being more realistic with splits and building up. Only a suggestion! Enjoy!
The speed is how much effort you put in, not what rate(or spm) you are at. Like running, you wouldn't expect to go as fast as Usain bolt just because you took as many steps per minute
@@CameronBuchan What do you mean by effort? The Usain analogy... Does effort mean the stride that he goes like how far his legs spread per step? So effort equals to his height? By that logic even though my car says 30mph a larger or smaller car is actually going faster or slower, size of the wheels? Or am I just stupid.. i seriously don't understand the point or the rate then, on my machine it says i do around 400 strokes in order to get to 2k... What is the marker i have to hit to get to 2k in less than 8... When i see the strokes he doesn't look like he's over extending himself. Maybe my monitor is broken lol
@@nunya3583 no the analogy I'm getting at is more the power applied per step. Yes the stride length might be longer but he's applying a huge amount of power, and effort, per step when he pushes off. Perhaps thinking of a bike analogy. Two people at the same bike and same cadanfe can be going different speeds. Yes, there are gears to think about but let's make it simpler than that, like the erg. Because you said you don't see the point in rate. Let's use the running analogy again. You wouldn't see a matathon runner going the same strides/min as a 100m sprinter. There are times for lower rates and times for higher rates. Generally 2k is a time for higher though 😂 In the video I'm not pushing very hard because my pb is more than 2 minutes faster so, for me, I am relatively not putting alot of effort in per stroke. By effort I mean the force you push with every stroke. The machine gives you a number on the screen measuring your effort. Watts, time per 500m, calories per hour etc, the lower this number the "faster" you are going and the more effort you will be putting in per stroke.
@@CameronBuchan oh shit! your the guy in the video 😂 Maybe it's a difference in resistance. I'm using a water rower filled to max resistance. I also noticed that the technique we use is different. Like I do a full extension. The bar goes well past almost hitting the monitor and my seat sometimes clinks at both ends to the point where I gotta anticipate right before it's gonna clink so I don't mess up my machine. To give you a visual of it. The rower i use is the Obsidian Surge 500. Im also 5'11. If that helps. But Im trying to improve every session. It feels like your Ronaldinho and I'm a rookie like we are both passing the ball but the way you do it makes it looks so easy and effortless haha
@@nunya3583 yup that's me! the water rowers do show different speeds that's for sure. Unfortunately for the same effort, usually faster! The technique should be the same on all machines though 💪
